| Copenhagen : Description |  |
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With the completion of the transnational Oresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö are connected by a car/rail link and are in the process of integrating their labour markets, resulting in the number of commuters from both sides growing annually.
In 2008, the magazine Monocle listed Copenhagen first in their Top 20 Most Livable Cities Chart, and gave the city the special award as "Best Design City". In addition, it has also been classified as a GaWC Cultural World City, while it is 3rd in Western Europe in the rivalry over regional headquarters and distribution centers, only surpassed by London and Paris.
The original designation for the city, from which the contemporary Danish name is derived, was Køpmannæhafn, "merchants' harbor". The English name for the city is derived from its Low German name, Kopenhagen. The element hafnium is named after the city's Latin name, Hafnia.
Climate
The weather in Copenhagen is mild through all the four seasons. Summers bring high temperatures averaging around 68°F (20°C) and lows of around 53°F (12°C), while in mid-winter temperatures hover just above or below zero. However, average daily temperature in January is 32°F (0°C) and July 62°F (16.5°C). Rainfall is moderate too, but spread throughout the year, so showers are possible in any season. Snowfall is light.
Copenhagen municipalities
The conurbation of Copenhagen consists of several municipalities. The central and largest is Copenhagen municipality, the second largest is Frederiksberg municipality which is an enclave inside Copenhagen municipality. Both are contained in the larger Capital Region of Denmark, which contains most of the Copenhagen metropolitan area.
Previously, the areas of Frederiksberg, Gentofte and Copenhagen municipalities have been used to define the city of Copenhagen. This definition is now obsolete. To meet statistical needs after the latest municipal reform, which took place in the beginning of 2007, an effort has been made to work out definitions of lands (landsdele) in Denmark. A land is basically a geographical and statistical definition, and the area is not considered to be an administrative unit. The land of Copenhagen City includes the municipalities of Copenhagen, Dragør, Frederiksberg and Tårnby, with a total population of 656,582 in the beginning of 2008.
Copenhagen and Frederiksberg were two of the three last Danish municipalities not belonging to a county. On 1 January 2007, the municipalities lost their county privileges and became part of Copenhagen Capital Region.
Copenhagen in the future
Copenhagen is known for its horizontal skyline, only broken by spires at churches and castles. In the coming years, a number of development projects in the outskirts of the historical city will add another dimension to the skyline.
The Marble Pier The upcoming high-rise area in Copenhagen, The Marble Pier, where UN headquarters in Denmark, hotel, offices etc. will be placed. Tallest building 144 m.
Our City Carlsberg's upcoming building project. Expected to start in 2010 and end in 2029, with an estimated cost of over 2,8 billion Euro.
DI new HQ DI (Dansk Industri) will in 2009/2010 restore and modernise their current HQ. The building will give Rådhuspladsen a more modern and futuristic look.
Copenhagen Towers Crowne Plaza/Office Towers. Expected to complete in 2009. Just in time for the global climate conference held by UN
Ørestad Business Center A total of nine buildings at a height of 80 meters will form a gate at the highway from Ørestad to the Airport. Due to the operation of planes and radars, the buildings are limited to 80 meters.
Location
Copenhagen is located on the eastern shore of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) and partly on the island of Amager. Copenhagen faces the Øresund to the east, the strait of water that separates Denmark from Sweden, and that connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. On the Swedish side of the sound directly across from Copenhagen, lie the towns of Malmö and Landskrona.
Copenhagen is also a part of the Øresund region, which consists of the eastern part of Zealand in Denmark and the western part of Scania in Sweden.
Population
Depending on the boundaries used, the population of Copenhagen differs. Statistics Denmark uses a measure of the contiguously built-up urban area of Copenhagen, this means the number of communities included in this statistical abstract has changed several times, in the abstracts latest edition with slightly more than 1.1 million (1,153,615 (2008)) inhabitants. This number is not a strict result of the commonly-used measuring methods of 200 meters of continuously build-up area, as there are exceptions to the general rule in the suburbs of Dragør, Taastrup, Birkerød, Hørsholm and Farum. Statistics Denmark has never stated the geographical area of urban Copenhagen. However we know it consists of Copenhagen Municipality, Frederiksberg and 16 of the 20 municipalities in the old counties Copenhagen and Roskilde, though 5 of them only partially.
Statistics Denmark has worked out definitions of so-called lands (landsdele), a definition used to meet statistical needs on a lower level than regions. From this, the land of Copenhagen city (København by) is defined by the municipalities of Copenhagen, Dragør, Frederiksberg and Tårnby, with a total population of 656,582 in the beginning of 2008. The surroundings of Copenhagen is defined by another land, Copenhagen suburban (Københavns omegn), which includes the municipalities of Albertslund, Ballerup, Brøndby, Gentofte, Gladsaxe, Glostrup, Herlev, Hvidovre, Høje-Taastrup, Ishøj, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Rødovre and Vallensbæk, and with a total population of 504,481 (January 1 2008). This gives a total population of 1,161,063 for these two lands together. The lands of Copenhagen city and Copenhagen suburban can together be used as a definition of the metropolitan area, although perhaps a somewhat narrow one.
From 1 January 2008 the population of the 33 municipalities closest to and including the municipality of Copenhagen is 1,835,371. Land area: 2,673 km² (1,032 sq mi). (Copenhagen Region - Bornholm + East Zealand). Water area: 105 km² (40.5 sq mi). Thus, the region comprises 6.3% of the land area of Denmark, but has 33.5% of Denmark's population. This gives a total of 686 inhabitants per km² or 1,776 per square mile for the region. This compares with a population density in the rest of the country of approximately 90 per km² or around 230 per square mile.
A high-ranking civil servant of the Interior Ministry, Henning Strøm, who was involved in (i.e. known as "the Father of") a past municipal reform, which took effect on 1 April 1970, said on television, broadcast in connection with the recent Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), that Copenhagen municipality would encompass an area with 1.5 million inhabitants, if the principles of the 1970 municipal reform were also applied on Copenhagen municipality. In other words: in the rest of Denmark the city occupies only part of the municipality, but in Copenhagen the municipality of Copenhagen occupies only part of the city of Copenhagen.
Recreation and Culture
Music and entertainment
The Copenhagen Jazz Festival, which takes place in summer, is a popular annual event that is the result of a significant jazz scene having existed for many years. It developed when a number of American jazz musicians such as Ben Webster, Thad Jones, Richard Boone, Ernie Wilkins, Kenny Drew, Ed Thigpen, Bob Rockwell and others such as rock guitarist Link Wray came to live in Copenhagen during the 1960s.
Recently, the Hafnia Chamber Orchestra has been added to the cultural platform of Copenhagen. Established by the talented conductor Simon Casali-Krzentowski in 2001, the Hafnia Chamber Orchestra strives to bring Danish composers to a wider audience.
For free entertainment one can stroll along Strøget, especially between Nytorv and Højbro Plads, which in the late afternoon and evening is a bit like an impromptu three-ring circus with musicians, magicians, jugglers and other street performers.
Cuisine
Copenhagen offers a great variety of fine restaurants and it is possible to find modest eateries with open sandwiches (called "smørrebrød"), which is the traditional and best known dish. Most restaurants, though, serve international dishes.
The city boasts an impressive 11 Michelin star restaurants. Restaurant Noma (Nordisk Madhus) has currently been voted the 10th best restaurant in the world, and recently it received another Michelin star in addition with the one it already had received. Furthermore, the readers of the international website TripAdvisor rated Noma as the best restaurant in the world.
Since the nineteen-eighties, immigration from the Pakistan, Middle East, Turkey and Arabian countries has introduced fast food dishes such as kebab and falafel, which have become as popular as more traditional Danish fast food.
Nature
Copenhagen and the surrounding counties have 3 beaches with a total of approx. 8km of sandy beaches within 30 minutes bicycling from the city centre. This includes Amager Strandpark, a 2 km long artificial island which opened in 2005 and is located just 15 minutes by bicycle from the city centre.
Economy
Copenhagen is a center for business and science, not only in Denmark, but also in the Oresund Region and Scandinavia. Thus the Copenhagen Capital Region had both the highest GDP per capita and economic growth in the whole of Denmark in 2005. In a 2006 survey of the richest cities in the world, Copenhagen was ranked 9th, and along with the Norwegian capital Oslo the highest gross wages were paid in Copenhagen, but the high taxes mean that wages are reduced after mandatory deduction. Furthermore, Copenhagen has in several surveys been ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the World. In a newly released survey by the Swiss bank UBS AG, the second largest bank in Europe by market capitalisation, Copenhagen had the highest gross wages in the World, and the average wage earner in Copenhagen earned somewhat 40% more than the average person in New York, considering the 14 most prevalent crafts , but when considering the tax level and general prices, Copenhagen drops down to a 6th place in the survey and in a calculation of the hourly domestic puchasing power, with the most common average expenses and rent included, Copenhagen only reaches a 16th place, behind cities such as Zurich, Munich and Oslo.
Several international companies have established their regional headquarters in Copenhagen, e.g. Microsoft. Maersk, the world's largest container shipping company, has their world headquarters in Copenhagen. A substantial number of Danish pharmaceuticals such as Novo Nordisk, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Bavarian Nordic also operate in the area, having placed their headquarters in or close to Copenhagen.
Science, Research and Education
Copenhagen is home to the oldest and largest university in Denmark, the University of Copenhagen founded in 1479. The University does renowned research within science, health, law, social sciences, theology and the humanities and forms part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), which is a collaboration between high-ranking universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and the University of California at Berkeley. The University attracts app. 1500 international and exchange students every year. The city is also home to EQUIS accredited and high-ranked Copenhagen Business School.
Transport
The greater Copenhagen has a very well established transportation infrastructure making it a hub in Northern Europe. By a quality service of roads, railways, airports and harbours has earned Denmark a top ranking in the IMD's World Competitiveness Yearbook and in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report for several consecutive years
Roads
Copenhagen has a large network of toll-free highways and public roads connecting different municipalities of the city together and to Northern Europe. As in many other cities in Europe traffic is increasing in Copenhagen. The radial arterial roads and highways leading to the Copenhagen city center are critical congested during peak hours.
Cycling
The city's bicycle paths are extensive and well-used. Bicycle paths are often separated from the main traffic lanes and sometimes have their own signal systems. Copenhagen is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, with up to 32% of people commuting to work by bicycle and is a center of bicycle culture. The city provides public bicycles which can be found throughout the downtown area and used with a returnable deposit of 20 kroner.
Copenhagen's well-developed bicycle culture has given rise to the term 'copenhagenize'. This is the practice of other cities adopting Copenhagen-style bike lanes and bicycle infrastructure.
Harbour
The harbour of Copenhagen, since 2001 merged with Malmö to Copenhagen-Malmö Port, has several functions but its main function today is a major cruise destination.
Cruise Copenhagen Network was established in 1992 as a partnership between the Port of Copenhagen, the City of Copenhagen and 45 professional suppliers, in order to strengthen and develop Copenhagen as the most successful home port for cruises in Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea. The trade magazine Dream World Cruise Destinations recently polled the cruise lines, who voted Copenhagen no. 1 in several categories: Most Responsive Port and Best Destination Experience for Independent Sightseeing. World Travel Awards has for several years in a row named Copenhagen Port as the number one cruise destination in Europe.
Airports
Copenhagen has two airports, Kastrup (the large international airport) and Roskilde Lufthavn (a smaller international and general aviation airport). Kastrup, also known as Copenhagen Airport, is Europe's 17th busiest airport and has four times won the award as being "The best airport in Europe", and two times as "The best airport in the world".
Public transportation
The public transportation system of Copenhagen consists of commuter trains (called "S-trains" (S-tog)), buses, and a metro. The S-trains form the basis of the transportation network, stretching to most areas of metropolitan Copenhagen, with their main hub at Copenhagen Central Station (København H). Regional trains supplement the S-train services with lines extending further such as to the Copenhagen Airport, Elsinore, and Malmö. The Danish State Railways' Intercity network has its eastern terminus and main hub at Copenhagen, with most trains extending to Copenhagen Airport.
The fare system is based on 95 zones covering the capital area. Tickets are transferable from one means of transport to another within a time limit. The more zones a ticket is valid for, the longer its time validity with a maximum of two hours. Discount cards (punch cards, klippekort) and period cards are available. Ticket prices are high and have increased substantially in recent years leading to a decrease in passenger numbers. In fact, the percentage of trips made on public transportation in Copenhagen is quite low by northern European standards.
Places of note in or near Copenhagen
- Amalienborg Palace
- Assistens Cemetery (Assistens Kirkegård)
- Arken Museum of Modern Art
- Børsen, the former Stock Exchange
- Church of Holmen
- Copenhagen Opera House
- Danish Design Centre
- Bakken
- Christiansborg
- Copenhagen Zoo
- Danish National Gallery
- Danmarks Nationalbank
- Frederiksborg Palace in Hillerød
- Freetown Christiania
- Gefion fountain
- Kastellet
- Kronborg Castle — Hamlet's castle in Elsinore (Helsingør)
- The Little Mermaid
- Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
- National Museum of Denmark
- Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
- Nyhavn
- Rosenborg Castle
- Roskilde
- Rundetårn
- Strøget
- Tivoli Gardens (amusement park)
- University of Copenhagen
- Ungdomshuset (demolished)
Sister Cities
- Paris, France
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Prague, Czech Republic (unofficial partner city) |
